The World Cup security buildout won’t end when the games do

More than $1 billion is going toward security for the 2026 tournament. The bigger question is what happens to the surveillance infrastructure after the crowds go home.

Police officers patrol outside the Estadio Ciudad de Mexico ahead of the 2026 World Cup football tournament Group A football match between Mexico and South Africa in Mexico City on June 11, 2026. [Photo: YURI CORTEZ / AFP via Getty Images]

BY Kolawole Samuel Adebayo

During the NFL’s 2024 AFC championship game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Kansas City Chiefs, play was stopped when a drone entered restricted airspace over the stadium. The operator later pleaded guilty to violating national defense airspace. Thirteen months later, a wild-card playoff game featuring the Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers was suspended for the same reason.........

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